2021 Mercedes S-Class Shows Rear Wheel Steering at Work During Winter Testing

It's called the W223 and will mark several changes, some of which will eventually trickle down to the rest of the Mercedes-Benz range. For example, this will be the smartest car Daimler ever made, capable of Level 3 autonomous driving.

It can do most of the boring stuff by itself, but you're still supposed to keep your eyes on the road, just to be sure. Rear-wheel steering can also be seen at work for the first time in a spy video. It's exciting stuff. Other automakers have RWS too, but the one Mercedes developed can turn the back wheels much harder. We'd say it goes way past 5 degrees.

Rear wheel steering works in one of two ways. At slow speeds, it usually turns in the opposite direction to the front, making the car feel shorter and more agile. This is especially important because the 2021 S-Class will come standard with a long wheelbase.

At higher speeds, the rears turn in the same direction at the front, resulting in faster lane changes, for example. Of course, it will all depend on how aggressively you're tugging at the wheel. Mercedes aims to make the system feel intuitive and natural.

Styling has also taken a turn for the better. The W223 is wider and a bit lower, giving it a sporty appearance. Both the headlights and the taillights have become long and narrow, giving it a brooding, angry face.

This video doesn't capture the interior, but we have photos of that, and it's one of the most significant changes in the entire car. They're going to install a giant screen that takes up almost the entire dash. Honestly, we think it's about 16 inches, so mini-TV sized.